From Christopher Eccleston to Julie Walters, prominent arts figures have asserted recently that a career in culture is increasingly only for the rich and privileged. Hikes in university fees, alongside the high cost of living in cultural centres such as London, are seen as preventing working- and even middle-class Britons from getting a foothold in creative industries.

Do you work in the arts, culture or creative industries? Take our survey on diversity in the sector

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Gender pay gap and lack of access to education driving UK inequality

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A new survey, published today in the Guardian and developed by the arts organisation Create, in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London, the London School of Economics and the University of Sheffield, aims to understand the true extent of the problem. By questioning arts professionals on their income, background and career aspirations, the team hope to show who really populates the country’s stages, studios and galleries.

“A whole host of studies have demonstrated clear evidence of inequalities in cultural jobs based on people’s gender, ethnicity and class,” says Dave O’Brien of Goldsmiths, who is heading up the research. “However, there has yet to be a comprehensive picture from across different occupations. There’s a need for much more comprehensive data about working life in the cultural and creative industries.” Goldsmiths recently found that only 18% of Britain’s cultural workforce were born to parents with working-class jobs.

A previous study revealed significant obstacles for working-class actors. “People from working-class backgrounds were underrepresented compared to those from more affluent backgrounds,” O’Brien says. “Access to drama schools, the ability to get a top agent, and the ability to live in London and do the multiple, often unpaid, jobs that allow access to acting were clearly related to an actor’s social background.”

The grim picture has appeared as various cultural figures expressed worries about diversity in the cultural sector. Last year, former shadow culture secretary Chris Bryant said the arts was comprised largely of people from privileged backgrounds: “We can’t just have a culture dominated by Eddie Redmayne and James Blunt and their ilk.” Actor and writer Julie Walters said of British drama: “Working-class life is not referred to … we’re going to get loads more middle-class drama. It will be middle-class people playing working-class people, like it used to be.” Broadcaster Stuart Maconie has complained that artistic expression is becoming “a rich fellow’s diversion, a pleasant recreation for those who can afford it, rather than the cultural imperative it should be”.

Meanwhile, Vikki Heywood of the Warwick Commission, announcing the recent Enriching Britain report [PDF] on diversity, said: “There are barriers and inequalities in Britain today that prevent [creativity] from being a universal human right. This is bad for business and bad for society.”

Arts professionals of any stripe – from music and publishing to film, advertising and beyond – can take the survey here until 18 October. The results will be announced in November ahead of Panic!, a 10-day event series that will include UK-wide public discussions about the findings of the survey, alongside music and film events.. The event is a partnership between Create, Goldsmiths and the Guardian, along with the Barbican and British Art Show 8.